Matthew Aguilar: Ferocious Golovkin will punish Geale

Twenty-eight years ago today, a 20-year-old powder keg named Mike Tyson walked into a boxing ring in Glens Falls, New York, dressed to dispatch — black trunks, black shoes, no socks, no robe.

His attire matched his mood, and 30 seconds after the first-round bell, opponent Marvis Frazier was unconscious — literally brought to his knees by a swift, ferocious onslaught.

Although Tyson had yet to win a world title, his capacity for greatness was undeniable. He had speed, he had power and he had a palpable mystique. You saw him, and you knew this kid was special.

Kazakhstanian middleweight Gennady Golovkin produces much of the same electricity as did Tyson — intimidating and punishing his victims before knocking them out. He is older at age 32 and has a title belt, but his star is still very much on the rise.

That star power will be on display again as "GGG" defends his middleweight titles against former champion Daniel Geale at Madison Square Garden in New York City (7:30 p.m. today, HBO).

Must-see TV

It's been a while since American fight fans have seen Golovkin, 29-0 (26 knockouts). His last fight, a 7th-round TKO of Osumanu Adama in February, wasn't televised stateside. And that's unfortunate, because Golovkin is quickly becoming what Tyson and Manny Pacquiao were to their eras: superstar assassins who produce must-see TV.

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He punished poor Gregorz Proksa (TKO 5) with a fierce double-fisted attack; he left the sturdy Gabriel Rosado a bloody, beaten mess (TKO 7); he leveled Nobuhiro Ishida with one chopping right hand; he buried Matthew Macklin (KO 3) courtesy of a sickening left to the liver; and he left the talented Curtis Stevens (TKO 8) with a bewildered look after connecting with one of his early bombs.

The Golovkin highlight reel — replete with booming punches and emphatic knockouts — conjures up memories of a prime, hungry Tyson. As does Golovkin's willingness to take on all comers, from 154 to 168 pounds.

Golovkin was supposed to fight Julio César Chávez Jr. this month in a fight that would have been a huge attraction. But it fell through, and Team GGG was left to find a substitute on short notice. Credit them for finding Geale, 30-2 (16 KOs).

The Australian boxer is a former IBF middleweight champion who won the title from Sebastian Sylvester (W 12) in 2011 and made four successful defenses against the likes of Adama, Felix Sturm and Anthony Mundine (all 12-round decision wins). He lost the crown to Darren Barker by close decision last August.

"Real Deal" Geale is a carbon copy of Golovkin physically, being the same age, and standing 5-foot-10 with a reach of 70 inches. That's where the similarities end.

Geale is a solid boxer. But he is not a puncher. And power is a prerequisite if anyone hopes to beat Golovkin. Without the artillery to keep GGG off of him, Geale will be a sitting duck.

GGG will move forward with abandon, use his jab to get in close, cut off the ring on Geale's movement, and unleash his dynamite to the head and body. Geale does not have the durability to withstand Golovkin's punches once he becomes stationary, and then the end will come. Brutally.